Why Traditional Career Counselling Methods Might now be Very Useful and How They Can be Changed

The professional world is constantly changing. Workers from previous generations often got jobs as soon as they graduated from college and stuck with a single employer for the rest of their lives.

Of course, there are certain advantages of working in a single workplace for most part of your career. You build trust within the structured relationships and are able to climb up the ladder by taking advantage of various internal opportunities.

But times have clearly changed now. People hardly remain with one company for five years, let alone an entire lifetime.

With an increase of opportunities in the job market and easy access to information on various industries, most workers tend to go through several professional transitions during their careers

Changing Demands of the Job market

With an increase of opportunities in the job market and easy access to information on various industries, most workers tend to go through several professional transitions during their careers. But while the job market has drastically changed over the past 10 years, career counselling methods haven’t. Career guidance is one of the most critical tools available to young adults to identify their skillsets and efficiently employ them in whichever career path they choose.

Most people believe that counselling is merely a way for students or prospective workers to find a job that they can keep for the rest of their lives, when in reality, it entails a lot more than that. They look at finding a job as a way to become a contributing member of the society, and often stick with safe professions like doctor, teacher, lawyer or engineer which will guarantee validation from others around them.

Today, career counsellors have switched their approach from choosing between different career opportunities to identifying their client’s true wishes and use it as a tool to empower themselves and others around them. Everyone has a life story that revolves around a single plot, and identifying that plot can make it easier for them to understand their end goal and where they are headed in their professional lives.

Career counselling hasn’t changed much in developing countries where advisors still use the same traditional approaches that they did a decade ago

Need for Change in Counselling Methods

The problem is that career counselling hasn’t changed much in developing countries where advisors still use the same traditional approaches that they did a decade ago. Although most young adults who expect to graduate from universities can’t afford career advisors (unless their institution offers the service for free or discounted fee), but those who can afford it get little to no benefit out of it.

Career counsellors must change their approach towards the matter in order to help young adults reach their maximum potential and find opportunities that are well-suited to their natural and acquired skillsets. One such approach that has been working well for clients in developed world is storytelling. Through this method, counsellors encourage people to tell their life story instead of answering technical questions on a aptitude test.

Research has also shown that people who are openly able to express themselves in a counselling setting are better at career adaptability and professional resilience. These are some of the most desirable traits which make people more employable. Furthermore, telling your story can help the counsellor identity the main theme in your life which helps you stay motivated and driven.

Importance of Storytelling

This storytelling technique is widely used in countries like the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, and so far it has successfully helped young adults find a career that can bring them intrinsic satisfaction. Researchers have also identified this approach as having vast potential for matching jobs with the right candidates.

In order to bring the right changes in the field of career counselling, stakeholders must acknowledge that a different approach has become almost necessary to keep up with the changing world of work. Schools and universities also need to adjust their curricula to make sure that their students are better prepared to face the corporate world that awaits them in their future.

Those who are already working in the field of counselling need to undergo more training to learn about the different approaches that they can use in order keep up with the changing demands of the job market.